This is a continuation of International Application PCT/DE01/02080, which has an international filing date of May 23, 2001; this International Application was not published in English, but was published in German as WO 01/89908.
The invention relates to a steering-wheel cover for covering a section of a steering wheel.
In the prior art, the use of two covering pieces to cover sections of a steering wheel with a steering-wheel cover is known, the two covering pieces completely or partially surrounding the steering wheel body along the section of steering wheel to be covered and being connected to one another by means of a catch connection. In this arrangement, a catch hook on one covering piece engages behind a catch section on the other. To secure this catch connection reliably against release, the two covering pieces are additionally bonded, screwed or riveted to one another or are additionally connected in this way to the steering wheel body. In addition to the actual catch elements, there are thus further connecting means, which are intended to ensure a reliable permanent connection of the covering pieces.
An object underlying the invention is to provide a steering-wheel cover that is distinguished by simplicity of construction.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a steering-wheel is provided including a covering piece surrounding the section of the steering wheel body to be covered, the covering piece being fixed relative to the steering wheel body by a catch connection. The connection includes a catch element engaging behind an associated catch segment and a catch lock with a stop face positioned to engage the catch element and counteract the release of the catch connection.
The solution according to the invention has the advantage that no additional fastening means, e.g. a screw, a rivet or an adhesive, is required to secure the catch connection that fixes the at least one covering piece relative to the steering wheel. The function of securing the catch connection is assumed by a stop face, on which the catch element is supported in such a way that it cannot disengage from the associated catch section.
The covering piece is preferably capable of being pushed onto the steering wheel body in a first direction, the catch element snapping behind the catch section (e.g. by means of a catch nose), and the stop face of the catch lock blocking subsequent movement of the catch element counter to the snap-in direction (which would lead to release of the catch connection). Here, the movement of the catch nose during engagement behind the catch section takes place, for example, essentially perpendicularly to the first direction, in which the covering piece is moved, until the catch element snaps behind the catch section.
In another embodiment of the invention, the catch connection is secured by virtue of the fact that the stop face of the catch lock interacts with an outer surface of the catch element that faces away from the catch section and, for example, comes to rest on this surface, to ensure that the catch element cannot be raised from the catch section. During this process, the catch lock can engage around the catch element on its surface facing away from the catch section.
The catch lock may be hook-shaped, e.g. L-shaped, the inner contour of the hook defining a stop face that engages around the catch element.
The catch lock is preferably elastic, a catch-lock end section that can be bent away elastically forming, for example, a stop face on which the catch element is supported.
It is a simple matter for the catch lock to be formed integrally on the covering piece, with the result that no additional components are required to secure the catch connection.
To facilitate the introduction of the catch element in the direction of the catch section and behind the catch section, the catch lock can have an insertion bevel, which extends at an acute angle to the direction in which the covering piece can be pushed onto the steering wheel body. As an alternative or in addition, a corresponding insertion bevel can also be provided on the catch element itself.
The catch element too is preferably of elastic design to facilitate the introduction and snapping in of the catch element behind the associated catch section. For example, the catch element can have a catch nose that can be bent out elastically and snaps behind the catch section to establish the catch connection.
In another embodiment of the invention, the catch element engages around the catch section with two face sections extending at an angle, in particular perpendicularly, to one another, and the catch lock acts with its stop face on the catch element in such a way that the two catch-element face sections extending at an angle to one another are acted upon in a direction toward the catch section. However, it is quite permissible here for there to be a certain play between the catch section and the catch element.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, at least two covering pieces, which surround the steering wheel body along the section to be covered and are connected to one another by means of a catch connection, are provided to cover a section of a steering wheel, a catch element of the first covering piece engaging behind a catch section of the second covering piece, and the second covering piece has a catch lock with a stop face, on which the catch element can be supported and which thereby counteracts release of the catch connection.
The two covering pieces may be brought into connection with one another in a first direction, the catch element snapping behind the catch section, and if the stop face of the catch lock blocks a movement of the catch element counter to the snap-in direction.
The covering pieces themselves are preferably designed as open ring segments, the mutually facing ends of the two covering pieces in each case being interlocked by means of a catch element and an associated catch section.
According to still another embodiment of the invention, the at least one covering piece provided to cover a section of the steering wheel is connected directly to the steering wheel body by the catch connection (i.e. the catch element or the catch section is provided on the covering piece and the respective other element of the catch connection is associated with the steering wheel body), the covering piece or the steering wheel body having a catch lock with a stop face, on which the catch element can be supported and which thereby counteracts release of the catch connection. This variant of the invention is advantageous particularly when only a single covering piece is to be secured on the steering wheel body by means of the catch connection, e.g. because another covering piece is already integrated into the steering wheel body, with the result that the latter needs further covering over only part of its circumference.
The steering-wheel cover according to the invention can be used, in particular, to cover the spokes of a steering wheel. This allows the covering pieces to be produced in a very simple manner by injection molding, it being possible to mold both the elements of the catch connection itself and the catchlock integrally on the respective covering pieces while nevertheless readily removing the mold required for this purpose.
Other examples of suitable materials for use as a material for the covering pieces, in addition to plastic, are light metals such as aluminum or magnesium. The covering pieces are then preferably produced by die-casting, lost-wax casting or thixotropic die-casting.
A steering wheel with a steering-wheel cover of the type described above, the steering-wheel cover being used, in particular, to cover the spokes of the steering wheel.
Here, means for holding the steering-wheel cover on the steering wheel body in a manner fixed against rotation can additionally be provided, e.g. in the form of a projection and an associated recess, which engage in one another. The projection can simply be formed by the catch lock of the second covering piece, which engages in a corresponding recess in the steering wheel body.
At the same time, the catch lock is also stabilized if it is supported on the steering wheel body, e.g. on said recess in the steering wheel body.
Means for centering the steering-wheel cover on the steering wheel body may be provided. These can, for example, be formed by elastic supporting elements, which are arranged between the steering wheel body and the steering-wheel cover and via which the steering-wheel cover is supported on the steering wheel body. Here, use is made of the fact that the covering pieces are curved on their inside, which faces the steering wheel body, thereby enabling centering to be accomplished in this way.
The supporting elements may be preferably arranged opposite one another on both sides of the steering wheel body and can be formed integrally on the steering wheel body, e.g. as lips integrally formed on a casing foamed around the steering wheel skeleton.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the figures, in which:
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.